Monday, December 15, 2014

My week didn't go as planned - I was unable to take the trip to Missouri because I fell ill on Wednesday night. Spent all of Thursday/Friday/Saturday up on the couch - coughing, snotting, sleeping and crocheting. I'm about 89% better today. I managed to discard the pumpkins and fall decor just yesterday - the Christmas boxes are down from the attic, and I'm ridiculously excited about decorating for Christmas this year. At this point, I may be celebrating Orthodox Christmas, but we will celebrate, nonetheless.

I also spent a bit of time reading some old blogs. Goodness gracious, I was flat cracking myself up - also reading some that I sounded bat guano crazy.

Y'all are some good people to stick around for the show.

:-)

I feel like we are through the years of introspection, and sisters, that feels pretty danged good.

I just don't think I realized the heartbreak I had over Aaron growing up and all, the whole empty nest made me feel like I had an empty life.

Au contrare.

Onward....

Meet Mick -

Even cowboys have a soft spot for marshmallows!

My friend Sue from Bloomington, Indiana ordered some mallows and posted these pics of Facebook - smiled my head right in half when I saw them.

The marshmallows seem to be spreading joy - and it's been so fun. Glenco is so excited, and is truly a 50/50 partner in all of this as we discuss display ideas and flavors.

My friend Sue suggested I have a little fun and offer a free sample box of marshmallows in a little contest. Send me a picture, or post to my Facebook page - you eating one of my marshmallows - the best photo will win a Spring Sampler box - with flavors like Honey/Lavender, Orange/Chocolate, Very Vanilla, and Simply Strawberry. Be the first to taste the delights!

I'm going to leave this open until the end of the year - hopefully Mick won't be the only entrant, but I'm sure he hopes he is!

Speaking of fun - I watched this video again whilst I was in a bit of a feverish state.

I laughed until I cried. Oh my goodness, I've got to dust Helene off and get her back here!

Monday, December 8, 2014

I blog once in a coon's age, and yet - I see familiar faces commenting, and the balm it is to my soul is hard to put into words.

'Thank you' doesn't cut it.

I thought it high time for another 'check in' and 'what's Jayme up to now?' post.

I would love to tell you that I'm sitting here at 11:31 in the am, nicely dressed, drinking a spot of gingerbread tea, the house bedecked for Christmas.

I'd love to tell you that I thought I'd pop on and blog whilst I waited for the oven timer to ding on my 4th batch of Mexican Wedding Cake cookies that I'll be tinning up and sending overseas to the troops.

I'd love to tell you that I've been busy boxing up gifts for the homeless and

sewing quilts for neo-natal units.

I'm embarrassed to tell you that I sit here in mismatched pj's and that I had crackers for

breakfast this morning.

I'm embarrassed to tell you that I have rotting pumpkins and mum skeletons flanking my front door.

In the words of the infamous Janie Fox -

I can't care.

But I do care, and I'm faking saying I don't care.

What has kept me from decking the halls and cooking meals?

I have a good reason.

Since my last blog post - I haven't had a day off til this very moment...and it's not really a day off.

It's a day of laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning and nesting.

I had to laugh at myself as I was dusting the houseplants this morning in my mis-matched pj's - while the laundry is piled to my thigh.

I.just.needed.to.nest.

I've no idea how to explain this recent development to you - other than to just jump in and tell you.

I started a marshmallow business.

I know.

I'm as shocked as you are.

How did this happen?

I'll tell you.

That girl.

Her name is Carey. She's the kind of woman you meet, fall in love with, and walk away from feeling like you can conquer the world and have fun while you are doing it. She runs the coolest antique store in town, and organizes these pop up markets here in Crown Point called 'Hunt and Gather'. She was my manager when I worked at Pier One - a lifetime ago.

I attended 'Hunt and Gather' for the first time this past summer - and was electrified by the creativity, originality and the vibe I felt there. I told her how awesome it was,

and what a great energy it had to it.

She told me she wanted me as a vendor - to figure it out.

: -)

I hemmed and hawed, and hawed and hemmed, and thought - hmm...what could I do? As we all know, I'm good at many things, but none generate much of an income. I thought I would mainly do it just for the fun of it all, if I broke even, that would even be more fun.

So then I thought, I thought, 'well Jayme, everyone likes the marshmallows you make at Christmas'.

This market was the end of November, so I thought it would be a fitting choice.

So - I began experimenting with my marshmallow recipe, and started coming up with ideas, and the next thing I knew - I had marshmallows in and on every surface of my house.

Because of my 'last minute', over book myself',' this shan't take that long' - kind of attitude, I basically had three days left in my schedule to pull off a vendor booth at this Hunt and Gather.

I worked around the clock for three days, making the product, figuring out a display - etc.

Let me just interject that this entire time the voices in my head were telling me that I was an idiot.

I nearly called Carey on 83 different occasions to tell her I changed my mind, but it was important to me to follow through.

So I did.

Guess what?

I.had.a.flipping.ball.

Flat sold out.

Since November 20th - it has been an absolute blur of marshmallows, the health department, commercial kitchen rentals, and doing two other venues. I've worked 12 to 16 hours a day for the last week. Glenco took vacation time and helped. I did two more shows this weekend.

It's fun to see people's eyes roll back in their heads when they taste them.

"I don't even like marshmallows, but these are awesome!"

"This is so Shark Tank-able!" one gal exclaimed.

I woke up this morning to emails of people wanting more.

I'm already booked for some shows next year, the first being the end of January.

I have more flavor ideas than I have hairs on my head.

I'm obsessed with display ideas and marketing.

Just this morning, I sent an email to Indianapolis about getting a wholesale permit, as I have shops asking for the mallows.

What in the world?

It's quite possibly the craziest thing I've done.

So that my friends, is why I have no signs of Christmas up here in the house.

It's why my hands are so swollen right now that it's hard to type.

It's why I have on mismatched pajamas at what is now officially the afternoon.

Today I restore the house.

Tomorrow I deliver mallow orders.

Wednesday is a cleaning job.

Thursday I leave for Missouri for a few days to see my sister honored as 'Guardian of the Year' from ARC of the Ozarks, the organization that worked with my sister Vivian.

Life is good.

Aaron got his dream job at a salon in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago.

Glenco is healthy and happy - and so very supportive of the mallow mania.

wouldn't stay still long enough for a photo!

I do believe I will be selling them through Etsy soon - and if you are really really interested in the mallows - what they are all about, flavors and all - you can drop me an email at:

MeltArtisanMallows@gmail.com.

or leave me your email in the comments, and I'll contact you.

I won't be shipping orders after the first of next week.

I reallllllly need to take my fall decor down.

: -)

I didn't want to come back and blog - and make it seem like an advertisement for the mallows - I just wanted to give you all an update.

I'm a 53 year old wannabe farmgirl, living in NW Indiana, renovating and decorating an old farmhouse built in 1869. I'm smitten with chickens, gardening, beekeeping, vintage campers, cooking, baking and all things home. I live in an apron. Welcome to my world.